


Adventures in Baby Making

by aquariuslover



Series: Expectations! [10]
Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ, Star Trek, Super Junior
Genre: Exhibitionism, Kim Jaejoong | Baby Rabies, M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-05 02:54:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14607696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquariuslover/pseuds/aquariuslover
Summary: Yunho and Jaejoong are fully enjoying the third stage of shifting(Jaejoong is in heat!), when the captain’s presence is required. Ryeowook and Kyuhyun are at odds. Kangin, Eunhyuk, Siwon, and Sungmin find themselves in a smelly situation. Changmin has a most unusual encounter. A battle ensues, and the outcome surprises all.





	1. Pheromones

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks tahoeturquoise for the beta! Thanks to Amy for her endless support!

“That was utterly useless.”  
  
“Umm…uugguuh,” the incoherent grunt of a very satisfied and physically exhausted Yunho was the only response Jaejoong got as the other man collapsed on top of his mate and started to snuggle.  
  
Jaejoong pushed Yunho off of him and sat up in bed. He gazed down on the other man, who had just rolled onto his back with a huge smile plastered on his face.  
  
Jaejoong pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them tightly as he watched the love of his life drifting away to dreamland. “You are all dried up and I’m still not pregnant,” Jaejoong whispered softly, so as to not disturb his mate.  
  
Jaejoong watched as Yunho’s mouth fell open in his sleep. He knew his mate was worn out. He had used his Joong powers to keep Yunho awake and going for days, but he had decided to let his mate benefit from some real sleep now.  
  
“What does one have to do to get pregnant around here,” Jaejoong whined as he fell back on the bed and rubbed his empty belly. Jaejoong’s heightened Joong hormones had him yearning desperately for that spark of life he would feel growing inside of him once Changmin was conceived. “A sweet baby Changmin who loves me best. A sweet baby, that I will share a Joong bond with…I can’t wait.”  
  
The thought of a baby made him beam with happiness. “I guess I could go see my big Changmin. Yes, I will go see my big Changmin!” Jaejoong said to himself as he quickly got out of bed. “Yes, I will go see my big Changmin…right after I take a nice long bath with real water!”  
  
  
**************  
  
  
“I have to find a helper, but all the people who have the natural ability are busy elsewhere on the ship,” Ryeowook informed his husband as he went through health reports, while sitting at his desk in his sickbay office.  
  
“Sulli wouldn’t do it?” Kyuhyun asked.  
  
Ryeowook shook his head. “No, she has no desire to do it at all. She would have been perfect too. Heechul adores her, and she has a way of putting people at ease.”  
  
Kyuhyun smirked. “Too bad.”  
  
Ryeowook lifted his eyes from his reports and eyed his husband. “I know you are mad at me, but you need to get over it.”  
  
Kyuhyun narrowed his eyes at his husband, for once hating that Ryeowook knew him so well. “Why would I be mad at you?”  
  
“Perhaps because I won’t let you resume your duties.”  
  
Kyuhyun, who had both of his feet propped up on the conference table as he leaned back in a chair, quickly agreed, “Oh, yes; that would be the reason for it.”  
  
“It’s barely been three weeks.”  
  
“What did I tell you about arbitrary dates?”  
  
Ryeowook told Kyuhyun softly, “It’s too soon. You know that.”  
  
“I have passed every psych test you have given me.”  
  
“Kyuhyun,” Ryeowook said in a long suffering voice, “You are a master at passing psych tests. We both know this.”  
  
Kyuhyun frowned. “Changmin said I was fine.”  
  
Ryeowook shook his head. “Changmin barely has even a basic grasp of his own telepathic and empathic abilities. Believe me, he is no judge of whether you are fine or not.”  
  
“And yet you allowed him to return to duty.”  
  
Ryeowook got up from his desk and walked over to Kyuhyun, sat down in the chair beside him and explained patiently, “Changmin only has limited privileges. He is restricted to his labs. He can not return to the bridge or go on any away missions. Not until he stops being dependent on the necklace to block out his empathic powers.”  
  
“I just think with the captain out of commission…I should be on the bridge. Yoochun hates to be on the bridge, and I miss the bridge.”  
  
Ryeowook couldn’t help chuckling as he corrected his husband, “The captain is not out of commission…he is just getting his brains sexed out. If there was an emergency I’m confident his leadership instincts would kick in.”  
  
Kyuhyun looked away from Ryeowook; he wasn’t ready to comment on any sexual matters…not theirs or anybody else’s. “I just feel useless. I want to contribute to the search for Lieutenant SooYoung.  
  
“I know you do,” Ryeowook said as he reached out and patted Kyuhyun’s arm. “You just aren’t ready.  
  
Kyuhyun stood up and kicked the chair he had been sitting in. “Sometimes you just piss me off.”  
  
“Kyuhyun!”  
  
“Don’t,” Kyuhyun snapped. “I’m sick of you. There, I said it. I am sick of being stuck with you all the time. I love you, but I need to go back to work! I wasn’t made to sit around and do nothing all day.”  
  
Ryeowook stood up, and pointed out to Kyuhyun calmly, “You are throwing a tantrum, and yet you want me to give my permission for you to resume your duties? Really? I don’t think so.”  
  
“I’m not throwing a tantrum. I’m showing my husband how frustrated I am. How stymied I feel! Can you be my husband for a moment, instead of my doctor?”  
  
Ryeowook shook his head. “As your husband, I understand your frustrations, but in this instance I have to be your doctor too. I can’t separate the two. And as your doctor, I can’t release you to return to the second most powerful position on this ship…without being 100% sure that you are ready.”  
  
Kyuhyun stared down at the shorter man, knowing he wasn’t going to win this argument. “Fine, then!” Kyuhyun told Ryeowook, turning around and leaving the conference room without another word.  
  
*************************  
  
There was a chirping in the distance, penetrating his peaceful slumber, but Yunho did not open his eyes. “Go away,” he mumbled.  
  
The chirping continued.  
  
Yunho rolled to his side, reaching up to cover his ears. “Go away.”  
  
The chirping continued.  
  
Yunho rolled over again and promptly fell out of bed. “I fell out of bed,” he chuckled as he found himself on the floor, unharmed by the fall. He rolled around on the floor laughing, as if falling out of the bed was the funniest thing that had ever happened to him.  
  
The chirping continued.  
  
Yunho finally opened his eyes, and stopped rolling on the floor when he realized he was in one of the guest rooms in his new quarters. “When did we come in here?”  
  
The chirping continued.  
  
“Jaejoong, did you see what happened? I fell out of bed,” Yunho asked aloud, still amused. When he got no answer from his mate he sat up and looked in the direction of the bed to find it empty. “You are not in bed.”  
  
The chirping continued.  
  
 _“Why aren’t you in bed? Where are you?”_  Yunho sent out mentally to his partner.  
  
 _“I’m with our son, and he is being very testy. Yunho, his hair is getting brown! Brown! The beautiful blond hair he inherited from me is fading away, and the nasty hair he inherited from your genetic contribution is replacing it!”_  
  
Yunho pondered Jaejoong’s words and then reached up to feel his hair.  _“My hair isn’t nasty.”_  
  
 _“Of course it isn’t, My Love. I shouldn’t have said that, I’m just sad to see him changing. You are the most attractive, perfect man in all the universes. Go back to bed, and replenish your bodily fluids, so we can make a baby. Dry orgasms do us no good.”_  
  
 _“Okay,”_  Yunho agreed and fell back to the floor, ready to doze off again. “My beautiful family,” he muttered aloud as he imagined Changmin and Jaejoong together.  
  
The chirping continued.  
  
The sexual haze that Yunho was drenched in lifted for a moment, and the word testy replayed in his mind. Changmin was being testy. Jaejoong was with a testy Changmin. The very small part of Yunho’s mind that was functioning warned that this had potential for disaster written all over it.  
  
The chirping continued.  
  
Yunho sat back up. The chirping was not going away. He thought perhaps he should investigate. He crawled to the living area of his new quarters, not bothering to stand as he followed the sound of the annoying chirping. Chirping that was his insignia, he suddenly remembered. Star Fleet regulations about keeping your insignia in close proximity to you at all times rattled off in Yunho’s mind. “I am the captain. I am the captain,” Yunho said aloud. “I am the captain. I am the captain,” Yunho kept repeating, reminding himself why he couldn’t ignore annoying chirping. “I am the captain.”  
  
The chirping continued.  
  
Yunho continued to crawl toward the chirping. The chirping seemed to be coming from the costume he had worn to the Halloween party. The costume was crumpled up on the floor where Jaejoong had ripped it off of him the instant they had entered their quarters. He picked up the navy blue naval uniform and felt for his insignia. The party seemed like it had been a long time ago, but surely it had just been yesterday. “Computer, when was the Halloween Party?”  
  
“The party was held on star date 49304.9,” the crisp, efficient, ever-helpful voice of the computer answered.  
  
Yunho then weakly asked, “And today’s date?”  
  
“Today’s date is 49309.3,” the computer answered.  
  
An astonished Yunho grabbed the insignia and stood up. “Five days…five...I have been…I have been…”Yunho paused and hit the chirping insignia. “Captain here.”  
  
The rather rude and demanding voice of Changmin was instantly heard, “Yunho, come and get him! Now!”  
  
***************  
  
  
Kyuhyun, who was on his way back to his quarters after decided hiding from Ryeowook wouldn’t exactly prove his mental health, stopped in the corridor as he noticed the captain stumbling out of his new quarters. “Captain?”  
  
Yunho spun around, barely managing to keep his balance. “Commander, how are you?”  
  
“I’m good, Sir,” Kyuhyun answered as he walked closer, observing the captain closely. The captain was in his uniform, and his appearance was normal…yet, there was something noticeably off about him. “Captain, are you alright?”  
  
“Oh, I don’t think so,” the captain answered honestly. “Do I seem alright?”  
  
Kyuhyun shook his head no. “Captain, you look intoxicated.”  
  
Yunho, much to Kyuhyun’s surprise, hooked his arm around the commander’s arm and explained, “I think you are very right. I think I’m high on Jaejoong.”  
  
“High on Jaejoong?”  
  
“I will explain, but right now I need to get to Changmin’s lab. If you would be so kind as to escort me there, and help me maintain some semblance of respectability, I’d be very appreciative.”  
  
“Of course, Sir,” Kyuhyun agreed as he led the captain toward the lift.  
  
Yunho took a long, deep breath as he allowed his second in command to guide him. His mind was foggy, and lustful thoughts of Jaejoong kept rising up. Once they reached the lift he remained quiet and allowed Kyuhyun to order the lift to take them to the science level.  
  
“Captain, you said you were going to explain?” Kyuhyun prompted.  
  
Yunho grimaced in embarrassment, but kept his word. “I think I might be under the influence of pheromones.”  
  
“Oh.”  
  
“Yeah, Jaejoong is in his Joong form, and he has them now,” Yunho explained. “I am pretty sure I have been dosed...overdosed on them.”  
  
“Should…we go to sickbay instead?”  
  
“No, I am doing my best to resist the effects of the pheromones now. Sex is not the main thing on my mind…no, that’s a lie, but it’s not the only thing on my mind, so that is an improvement.”  
  
Kyuhyun frowned as they headed toward Changmin’s lab. “Captain, I think I might be misunderstanding you.”  
  
“I don’t need a doctor. If I went to see Ryeowook, Jaejoong would have my hide. You know he thinks Ryeowook’s healing methods are prehistoric at best.”  
  
Kyuhyun, who’s arm was still hooked with the captain, asked, “So you are okay with being dosed with pheromones?”  
  
Yunho smiled as memories of the last five days flooded back to him. “Hell, yes. I highly recommend it.”  
  
“Okaaay.”  
  
“Of course, that could just be the pheromones talking.”  
  
Kyuhyun couldn’t keep from grinning as they approached the lab. “I think you might be right, Captain.”  
  
Yunho took in the view of several of Changmin’s science personal standing outside the door that led to Changmin’s main lab. “What’s up?” Yunho asked, trying to sound as normal as possible…and failing.  
  
The crewmen instantly stood straighter at the sight of their captain and commander. “Sir, Lieutenant Jung ordered us out.”  
  
“At ease, men,” Kyuhyun ordered, pulling his arm free of the captain’s. “You are dismissed until Lieutenant Jung calls you back.”  
  
Yunho managed to stand mostly straight as he watched the crew members walk away. “So have you returned to duty?”  
  
“No,” Kyuhyun grumbled, unable to hide his unhappiness. “Sorry, about ordering them. It’s just habit.”  
  
“No, no; it’s fine,” Yunho assured him as he walked through the lab doors and came to a sudden halt.  
  
Changmin was sitting at his desk with a very sour expression on his face. Jaejoong stood behind Changmin with both of his arms wrapped around his son’s neck, hugging him.  
  
Yunho just giggled at the sight, and sat down in the nearest chair he could find.  
  
“It isn’t funny!” Changmin bellowed at his father.  
  
Kyuhyun, who was also grinning at the irate science officer and the happy, smiling Joong behind him, said, “It kind of is.”  
  
“Yunho, why aren’t you sleeping?” Jaejoong asked, his arms still wrapped around Changmin, but his eyes glued to his lover. “You should be replenishing your bodily fluids.”  
  
Yunho, who was sprawled out in the chair, asked, “Are you using pheromones on me?”  
  
Jaejoong released his arms from around Changmin’s neck and stood straighter. “I’m not dispersing them purposely, like I did when we first met. A shifting Joong can’t help but release some when they climax, and well…” Jaejoong paused and winked at Yunho.  
  
“Oh, no wonder,” Yunho replied, completely understanding now. “I think you told me that before.”  
  
“I did.”  
  
“I am not really grasping much right now,” Yunho told them. “My sense of time and my judgment seem to be really off.”  
  
“You think?” Changmin said disdainfully.  
  
Jaejoong, who was still behind Changmin, whacked his son gently on the head. “Be nice to your father. The pheromones are slowly leaving his system; in time he will be all panicky about ignoring his ship for almost a week.”  
  
Changmin brightened. “Leaving his system? Does this mean that I have been conceived? This is most unexpected, but welcome news. I have not faded into oblivion. I had hoped that two of me could exist at the same point in time. There have been cases of a person time traveling back in time, and not rendering their prior selves void. I had not dared to hope though. ”  
  
“That’s great news,” Kyuhyun agreed.  
  
Yunho just shook his head, and Jaejoong broke the news, “I’m not pregnant. Your father has failed to impregnate me.”  
  
“Explain. If you are not pregnant then why are you are out of your quarters? Why are you not continuing your hideous, heated, sexual romp? You appear to make perfect sense…although extra clingy. Have you finished shifting?” Changmin demanded.  
  
“I’m not extra clingy. I’ve just never loved you this much before…that I remember,” Jaejoong corrected, hugging Changmin again. “I’m not done shifting. I just missed you…you, my perfect, smart, handsome son. Not to mention the smartest person ever!”  
  
“We are on a break from baby making,” Yunho explained, holding his stomach as he laughed at the expression on Changmin’s face. “And that baby would be you.”  
  
“Yes, we are on a break, so I had to come and see my perfect, smart, handsome son who is looking more and more human of late; what happened to your magnificent blond hair? Your eyes are even changing back to that boring brown,” Jaejoong told Changmin as he ran his hands sadly through his son’s darkening hair. “You haven’t been wooing Su-”  
  
“I didn’t bond with anybody!” Changmin yelled, interrupted Jaejoong.  
  
Jaejoong grinned down at his son, “So we hope; I’m totally not ready to be a Grand Birth Parent. I am much too young and pretty for that.”  
  
“I was locked in my quarters for five days? Five days?” Yunho said suddenly, as if the severity was only now registering with him.  
  
“Yes, Sir,” Kyuhyun told the captain.  
  
“Five days?” Yunho repeated as if the thought was completely foreign to him. “For five days?”  
  
“Yunho, calm down…it was a really fun five days,” Jaejoong told his panicking lover.  
  
Kyuhyun gave Changmin a sympathetic look, and said, “I’m going to leave now. This should be a family discussion.”  
  
Changmin wanted to plead with him to stay, but forced himself to control the urge. He reminded himself that Kyuhyun had suffered enough for him already. “Bye.”  
  
“Kyuhyun, if you want me to manipulate Ryeowook’s brain so you can return to duty just ask,” Jaejoong offered Kyuhyun with a bright smile. “I won’t ever forget that you saved my baby. I always repay my debts.”  
  
“Ummm…well, thanks. That’s a nice offer…but I am going to have to pass on it. I think I am going to go,” Kyuhyun told Jaejoong and hurried out of the lab before he took Jaejoong up on his offer.  
  
“Five days,” Yunho said, sitting up straighter oblivious to Jaejoong’s offer to Kyuhyun. “I didn’t even have my insignia with me. Five days without checking on my ship.”  
  
“Changmin, your mind is so hard to read now. I can barely read you,” Jaejoong complained, still standing behind his son, looking down at him unhappily.  
  
“Well, isn’t that just terrible,” Changmin said full of sarcasm, resisting the urge to gloat.  
  
Jaejoong whacked Changmin again, and told him, “I didn’t say it was impossible, brat.” Jaejoong then opened up the top drawer of Changmin’s desk and stared at the much hated necklace that was stashed inside it. “I told you, you don’t need this hideous thing anymore.”  
  
“I know you did, but it helps with the headaches.”  
  
Jaejoong shut the drawer. “You know what else can help with headaches?”  
  
“I’m a horrible captain,” Yunho bemoaned from his seat, oblivious to the conversation going on between his mate and their son.  
  
“I didn’t think you would want the interruption,” Changmin told his birth parent, ignoring his father’s mental anguish as his sense of duty returned.  
  
Jaejoong sighed. “You can heal your own headaches! You can’t always depend on me.”  
  
“I don’t deserve to be captain…my father would be so disappointed,” Yunho said sadly, lost in a world of shame. “My father…he would be so ashamed. I’m not the captain he dreamed I would be.”  
  
“I can not heal the headaches, they are caused by my Joong abilities,” Changmin explained, turning to give his father a concerned look after the mention of his grandfather.  
  
Jaejoong, whose eyes were now firmly fixed on Yunho, replied to his son, “Really? Do you think you are the only Joong that ever had a headache because they were surrounded by a hoard of emotional humans? I think not. Do you think other Joong’s rely on necklaces to block their empathic powers?”  
  
“No,” Changmin answered. “But I’m turning back into my human form…aren’t I?”  
  
“What does that have to do with you healing yourself? It has nothing to do with it. When I’m in human form I still have all my abilities…well, except for some, but I can read minds, heal, and feel emotions. So can you. Even when I had your Joong side completely suppressed some of your Joong abilities still emerged at times.”  
  
“Where the heck are we anyway?” A very disturbed Yunho asked. “It doesn’t feel like we are in warp. What kind of captain doesn’t even know where his ship is? But I’m not a real captain, am I? I am only captain because…because so many died. I am captain by default.”  
  
Jaejoong walked away from Changmin and up to his distressed mate.  _“Yunho, calm down. You are a wonderful captain. Everything is perfectly under control,”_ Jaejoong told him as he sat down astraddle his lover in the chair, making Yunho focus on him.  _“Commander Sleazy…I mean Yoochun, is in charge, and Sungmin has been helping to make sure everything is running smoothly.”_  
  
Yunho reached up and grabbed Jaejoong’s hands that were about cup his face.  _“No more pheromones. I have to think straight. I hate feeling like this. I need to check on my ship; no more of them. No more.”_  
  
 _“My Love, you are the one who makes me release them, and unless we are going to have some fun times in this chair, you are safe,”_  Jaejoong reminded Yunho as he pulled their hands down and kissed Yunho softly on the lips.  
  
 _“Jaejoong, don’t tempt me,”_  Yunho whined mentally to his lover.  
  
 _“But I love tempting you.”_  
  
“I am leaving this vulgar display of affection,” Changmin said not hiding his revulsion as he quickly fled the lab.  
  
 _“I’m weak right now.”  
  
“Yunho, I’m always weak for you.”_  
  
 _“I shouldn’t…”_  Yunho told Jaejoong, even as he parted his lips allowing Jaejoong’s tongue to enter his mouth, deepening the kiss.  
  
 _“We probably shouldn’t,”_  Jaejoong agreed as he pressed in closer to Yunho.  
  
 _“I want you, now,”_ Yunho ordered, his hands moving to rid Jaejoong of his pants.  
  
Jaejoong’s hands were already busy working on freeing Yunho from his clothes.  _“These damn uniforms; there should really be an easier way to get out of them. They won’t rip or tear…wait! You’re still dry.”_  Jaejoong sent out mentally as he jumped free of Yunho.  
  
 _“I’m probably not,”_  Yunho quickly responded, reaching out for Jaejoong, who quickly evaded his grasp.  
  
Jaejoong shook his head, not falling for Yunho’s ploys.  _“Really? When it’s not even been an hour?”_  
  
 _“I’m quick to recover.”_  
  
 _“I don’t want quick! I want sperm filled semen! I’m trying to make a baby here!”  
  
“You are being ridiculous! You can’t get me worked up like this and stop…it’s…it’s wrong!_”  
  
 _“I love you dearly, and you are wonderfully hot and masculine, but you are going to have to wait,”_  Jaejoong informed his mate.  
  
 _“I shouldn’t have to wait! It isn’t my fault that I am dried up! You’re insatiable!”_  
  
“Yes, I have been, but now I am going to be more goal oriented. This is not about quantity, it’s about quality. We are going to make a baby, and nothing is going to stop us!” Jaejoong said aloud with new determination.  
  
“But…can’t we practice, right now?” Yunho asked hopefully.  
  
“We don’t need any practice. Right now, you need to find out what primitive world your ship is orbiting!”  
  
Yunho’s lust started to fade. “I should probably do that.”  
  
“Yes, you should.”  
  
“I’d rather have sex.”  
  
“Not until later, a couple of hours at the very least.”  
  
“You are being very mean to me.”  
  
“I promise to make it up to you.”  
  
“I wasn’t this sex crazed on the planet when we first met…I was stronger then. I was a better captain then…now, I am just weak. Weak and pathetic.”  
  
“That isn’t true. I just used enough pheromones to get you to mate with me then. It isn’t like I climaxed from our horrible first time together,” Jaejoong said with scorn. “That wasn’t pleasant at all.”  
  
Yunho frowned. “Can we not talk about that…ever again?”  
  
“My Love, I am just saying you are much stronger now. What wonderful mental control you have. You have been exposed to massive amounts of pheromones for five days, other men would not remember they have a ship much less be concerned for it…they would probably be trying to rape me.”  
  
“I have a ship. I have to focus on it, now.”  
  
“Yes, you should do that. You love your ship.”  
  
“I love my ship,” Yunho agreed as he stood up and carefully walked over to one of the science stations. He touched a panel bringing up ship wide reports and studied them closely. “We are orbiting a planet named Valmont. It appears they may have some news about Lieutenant Choi’s whereabouts.”  
  
“Good,” Jaejoong said happily. Jaejoong was relieved to see Yunho’s leadership tendencies starting to emerge. “You stay here and get your captaining on, and I am going to cook a wonderful meal for our beloved son. Changmin’s testy nature will dissolve in seconds, once I cook him a delicious meal.”  
  
Yunho, who was looking down at the displays in front of him, shook his head trying to focus. “I am still not thinking clearly.”  
  
Jaejoong walked toward the door, then turned and told Yunho, “Maybe you should take a nap, and then your mind will be clearer.”  
  
Yunho looked up at his departing mate and asked, “Can you not help me with clearing my mind…heal it or something?”  
  
Jaejoong just shook his head. “No, if I tried to heal you, my desire to have constant sex with you would take over again, and you would be worse off.”  
  
Yunho smiled as a thought occurred to him. “So if I hurt myself, and you had to heal me…then we…No, I can’t think like that. Just go,” Yunho told Jaejoong, trying desperately to keep a hold of his fragile command instinct.  
  
“I’m leaving,” Jaejoong told Yunho as he stepped through the door.  
  
Yunho groaned and reached up and rubbed his eyes. “This is crazy,” he said to himself. “I’m the captain, I can’t be like this. I have…wait,” Yunho said as a thought occurred to him. He reached up and tapped his insignia. “Transporter room.”  
  
******************  
  
Commander Yoochun winced, reached up and pinched his nose, and asked, “Is that shit?”  
  
“Yes,” Lieutenant Sungmin answered as he stepped none too happily off the transporter platform. Ensign Kangin, Siwon, and Eunhyuk, who had beamed up with him had similar looks of displeasure on their faces. All of the away team was almost covered from head to toe in animal feces.  
  
“So I guess they wouldn’t deal with you?” Commander Yoochun surmised, as Lieutenant Donghae, who was standing beside him, tried to resist gagging on the awful smell.  
  
“No,” Siwon stated as he stepped off the transporter room, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity. “They are aware of what Captain Yunho looks like, and they refuse to deal with anyone but him.”  
  
“Isn’t this just wonderful timing,” Commander Yoochun griped.  
  
“You could always go down there and try to convince them to deal with you?” Sungmin suggested with an evil glint in his eyes. “You are a commander, perhaps they would deal with you instead.”  
  
Yoochun looked Sungmin’s feces splattered body up and down. “No.”  
  
“What are we going to do, then?” Sungmin asked Commander Yoochun. “We can’t let this opportunity pass us by.”  
  
“Our options are limited at-”  
  
Yunho’s voice broke out interrupting Yoochun, “Transporter room.”  
  
“Lieutenant Donghae here,” Donghae immediately answered.  
  
“Beam me straight to sickbay,” Yunho ordered.  
  
“Yes, Sir,” Donghae replied instantly, following his captain’s orders.  
  
Yoochun’s eyes narrowed in concern as he turned toward the exit, while at the same time saying hopefully, “Our options may have just increased.”


	2. Garganchum

Yunho suddenly appeared in the middle of sickbay and called out, “Doctor, I need your immediate attention.”  
  
“Captain, what are you doing out of your room?” Ryeowook asked as he stepped out of his office to speak to the captain. “Has Changmin been conceived yet?”  
  
“No,” Yunho answered as he headed toward an exam bed. “But I need you to do whatever you have to do to get me thinking like the captain of this ship, and not like some sex obsessed animal.”  
  
Ryeowook followed after the captain. “The pheromones?”  
  
Yunho lay down on the exam bed, and the sensors immediately gave Ryeowook a full reading on the captain’s condition. “I know he warned us, but they are overwhelming. I can’t think about anything else. They are too powerful.”  
  
“I suspected as much, and that’s why the filtration system on your quarters is set at maximum,” Dr. Cho informed the captain as he studied the readings.  
  
“Well, it didn’t help me any.”  
  
“No, but it kept the ship from becoming a sex crazed mess,” Ryeowook told him as he reached for a hypospray. “You were in their direct path, and being telepathically bonded to a shifting Joong did not help matters.”  
  
Yunho sat up quickly and asked, “What would happen if we had sex outside of our quarters?”  
  
“You didn’t, did you?” Ryeowook asked, alarmed.  
  
“No.”  
  
“The ship’s filtrations systems would start working immediately, but I wouldn’t want any of the crew in the nearby vicinity of those pheromones,” Ryeowook told Yunho as he injected him with the hypospray. “They would be just as overwhelmed as you, if not more so, and they would not have a bondmate to focus their attention on.”  
  
“I don’t know, that sounds like a fun time to me,” Commander Yoochun replied as he entered the room.  
  
“Yoochun!” Yunho said with relief as he jumped off the exam bed. “I want a full report, now.”  
  
Ryeowook smiled and asked, “May I assume the injection worked?”  
  
Yunho turned, looked down at Ryeowook thankfully and told him, “I don’t even want to know what it was, but yes, it worked. Thank you, Doctor.”  
  
“Worked?” Yoochun asked.  
  
Ryeowook answered, “The captain is no longer under the influence of pheromones.”  
  
“No,” Yunho said with a huge smile. “I’m back to my old self.”  
  
“Captain, the injection will be rendered useless if you expose yourself again. There isn’t anything I can do to you that Jaejoong can’t undo. He had me remove your infertility implant with ease. I didn’t even know I was doing it until it was already done. Also, you are bonded to a highly aroused Joong…the shot can only do so much. You are not immune to his feelings,” RyeoWook warned.  
  
“Well, right now his pater…maternal feelings are ruling supreme and he is focused on Changmin, so I am safe for the moment,” Yunho told the doctor. He then turned to Yoochun. “I want to know everything that has been happening on my ship for the past five days.”  
  
Yoochun grinned and happily started explaining the situation to the captain, “Well, right now we are orbiting the planet Valmont. We heard the people of this planet trade directly with the Warlord Hangeng, and they apparently have information on Lieutenant SooYoung’s whereabouts. Unfortunately, they are a primitive warrior race that likes to fling shit on visitors…and they insist on only talking to you.”  
  
Yunho’s smile faded. “Great.”  
  
*************************  
  
“Well, how does it taste?” Jaejoong asked, beaming down at his son, who had a look of divine bliss on his face.  
  
“Oh…oh….good,” Changmin said with his mouth full of hot crab fondue. In front of Changmin sat multiple dishes, all consisting of crab; crab casserole, crab dips, golden crab puffs, crab stuffed mushrooms, boiled crab soaked in butter, and crab fettuccini.  
  
Sulli, who was sitting beside Changmin, laughed as she told Jaejoong, “It’s very delicious.”  
  
“Thank you, Sulli,” Jaejoong said as he headed back to his stove to check on something else that was still cooking. Hunting his son down had proved difficult due to Changmin wearing the necklace in order to hide from what he considered his overly affectionate parent. Changmin had been smart enough to not let anybody else know where he was hiding. In the end Jaejoong had enlisted the help of the ship’s computer to find his son. Once he had found Changmin and explained that he had prepared him a large meal, Changmin had followed him back to his quarters without hesitation.  
  
Jaejoong had also invited Sulli to eat, much to Changmin’s irritation, but Jaejoong couldn’t resist. He was very curious about the girl. Jaejoong adjusted the heat on the stove, walked back to the table, and stood beside his son. He looked down at the girl. “Sulli, your mental shielding is very complex for a human.”  
  
“Can you not read my mind?” Sulli asked, looking up at Jaejoong; surprised by his admission.  
  
Jaejoong laughed at the thought. “No, I just meant your surface thoughts are undistinguishable. I do have to put a little effort into reading them. Most humans just broadcast their surface thoughts, and I have to actually close my mind to them. Of all the humans on this ship, well, with exception of my beloved, your thoughts are the hardest to read. The easiest thought in your head to read is…” Jaejoong paused, smiled and delightedly said, “Is how pretty you think I am.”  
  
Sulli beamed up at Jaejoong. “You are very beautiful in any form, but your Joong form is exquisite.”  
  
Jaejoong bent down and whispered in Changmin’s ear, “I like her.”  
  
Changmin groaned, dreading what Jaejoong might have planned for the future and asked, “What about my surface thoughts? I thought you said my mind-”  
  
“Darling, you are half Joong, you don’t count as a human any longer.”  
  
Changmin pondered Jaejoong’s words, trying to decide if he was pleased or displeased. He eventually decided he didn’t care, and stuffed more food in his mouth.  
  
Sulli put down her silverware and focused on Jaejoong. “I am not surprised that I am difficult to read. On my father’s side of the family I have many relatives that are psi null, including my father and my cousin SooYoung.”  
  
“Psi null?” Jaejoong asked.  
  
“An incorrect, but widely accepted term used to describe humans who are born with mental shields that block any kind of telepathy or empathy,” Changmin answered before stuffing a piece of buttered crab in his mouth.  
  
Jaejoong’s eyes widened, intrigued, and asked, “Who determines they are psi null?”  
  
“Our medical science; and often members of the telepathic races of our galaxy would mention this to my father as well,” Sulli explained. “The Betazoid Ambassador often said that being around my father was very refreshing.”  
  
“Betazoids? Aren’t they one of the telepathic races of your galaxy?” Jaejoong questioned.  
  
“Yes,” Sulli answered.  
  
“There are also a few people in this galaxy that are…what you call psi null. It is usually the side effect of some kind of head trauma, I don’t know if I have ever heard of somebody being born psi null in this galaxy. Some Joongs find these people enjoyable to be around, but I would much rather know what somebody is up to,” Jaejoong explained, looking perplexed.  
  
Sulli noticed the look of confusion on Jaejoong’s face and asked, “Is something wrong, Jaejoong?”  
  
“This SooYoung, your cousin; you said she was psi null?” Jaejoong questioned.  
  
“Yes,” Sulli confirmed.  
  
“Sometime in the future I will hand a very young Changmin over to her…she takes Changmin back in time to Earth,” Jaejoong said with obvious disbelief. “I can’t imagine trusting somebody whose mind I can’t read, enough to hand my baby over to them.”  
  
Changmin swallowed his mouth full of food and responded, “At the time you are not in the best physical condition, and perhaps because she is unreadable is the reason you chose her to deliver me to my grandparents and Yunho.”  
  
Jaejoong headed back to the stove. “True, if I can’t read her then nobody else could.”  
  
“Or maybe she won’t be psi null to you?” Sulli offered.  
  
“True,” Changmin replied as he eyed his food longingly. “Your telepathic abilities are superior to those of the Vulcans and Betazoids. She may be open to you.”  
  
Jaejoong picked up a spoon and started stirring a pot of food. “That must be the reason, or perhaps it’s because the future is already known to me. I will know she succeeds in her mission.”  
  
“What else are you making us to eat?” Changmin asked as he turned his attention to Jaejoong at the stove.  
  
“Oh, this isn’t for you. This is for your father. He hasn’t eaten in five days, and he’s starting to feel it.”  
  
“Five days,” Sulli repeated, concerned.  
  
Changmin frowned. “Why can’t I have any?”  
  
Sulli kicked Changmin from underneath the table. “Changmin, the captain hasn’t eaten in five days.”  
  
“Oh, well…I am sure he is fine,” Changmin insisted after giving Sulli a hurt look.  
  
“He’s perfectly fine, the bond was sustaining him,” Jaejoong explained as he started spooning out the food onto a plate.  
  
“It smells good? What is it?” Changmin questioned, his focus back on the forbidden food. “Perhaps, I should taste test it first?”  
  
Jaejoong smiled and answered, “Nice try, but I don’t think so. This is a special surprise for your father.”  
  
************************  
  
“We inadvertently insulted them with our very presence. The leaders of this world…will only speak directly to other leaders that they consider their equals,” Sungmin explained.  
  
Ensign Kangin, who was still fuming from having feces thrown on him declared, “I was ready to pull out my phaser and show those primitive, thick necked assholes just how unequal we really were.”  
  
Commander Yoochun leaned into his old friend and whispered, “This is why you are still an ensign.”  
  
“I would like to see how you would handle getting shit thrown all over you,” Kangin spat back at Yoochun.  
  
Yoochun leaned back in his chair unable to stop grinning. “Hey, if later there was an accidental discharge of photon torpedoes that wiped out parts of the planet, that wouldn’t be my fault.”  
  
Siwon, who sat at the conference table with Kangin, Dr. Cho, Sungmin, Yoochun, and the captain, calmly stated, “I realize it was not a pleasant experience for any of us, but it was preferable to a fight to the death. This way their honor was restored…”  
  
Siwon paused as the people at the table turned to look at the captain, whose stomach had let out a loud growl.  
  
“Captain, when was the last time you ate?” Dr. Cho asked concerned.  
  
Yunho opened his mouth, and then closed it, pausing to think before he answered, “I actually have no memory of eating…in days.”  
  
“It must be terrible to be so absorbed in mind blowing sex that you forget to eat. I really feel sorry for you,” Commander Yoochun said with fake sympathy. “Would you like to break for some milk and cookies?”  
  
“That won’t be necessary,” Jaejoong replied as he breezed into the room in all his Joong splendor carrying a big plate of food.  
  
Yunho immediately turned toward Jaejoong, pointing at him.  _“No, no, no! You need to get out of here. I am thinking. I need to stay thinking.”_  
  
Jaejoong sat the plate of food on the table in front of Yunho and took the hand that was pointing at him in both of his.  _“I am on my best behavior right now. All my pheromones are firmly under tight control.”_  
  
 _“You promise?”_  
  
 _“I promise,”_ Jaejoong assured Yunho as he sat down in the chair beside Yunho that would normally have been taken by Commander Cho.  
  
Yoochun snorted and pointed to Yunho’s plate. “Why, that’s an interesting array of food you have there, Captain.” Yunho’s plate of food consisted of foods known throughout their galaxy for increasing male potency.  
  
Yunho turned and glared at Yoochun, and then turned to Siwon and asked, “Siwon, would you please continue.”  
  
“I was saying the Warrior King had his honor restored by that most unfortunate act. The Warrior King has ordered that the away team with the exception of Lieutenant Sungmin be exiled from the planet forever, but he will talk with you directly about SooYoung’s whereabouts.”  
  
Yunho turned to Sungmin and asked, “Why are you allowed back?”  
  
Sungmin blushed and Kangin happily answered, “He thought Sungmin was cute…a cute, little woman.”  
  
“It seems that one’s genitalia is not the only deciding factor on determining one’s gender on the planet. Height plays an important role in establishing one’s femininity or masculinity as they reach adulthood,” Siwon further explained.  
  
“So the Warlord Hangeng deals directly with this Warrior King?” Yunho asked as he watched Jaejoong glaring at Yoochun who was just smiling back at the Joong. _“Jaejoong, why are you looking at Yoochun like that?”_  
  
 _“The bastard is staring at my…he finds my lack of…he finds my breasts very disappointing. I swear if he wasn’t your oldest friend I’d fry that bastard’s brains for dinner!”_  
  
Yunho squeezed his eyes shut and prayed for patience. _“Why do you care what he thinks?”_  
  
 _“I don’t…it’s just...I will block him out now.”_  
  
“It appears so, Sir. This is the most powerful tribe on the planet and it controls the majority of the mines,” Sungmin explained. “These mines are rich in minerals that the Warlord Hangeng and others of this galaxy greatly prize.”  
  
“Then, I will just go talk to him,” Yunho told them, refocusing on the important matter at hand.  
  
Siwon sighed and explained further, “Although the insult we gave him was corrected, he will not hand over the information freely.”  
  
“You have to fight him for it,” Kangin just blurted out, getting straight to the point.  
  
“Fight him?” Yunho questioned.  
  
“Yes, they are insisting on man to man combat. The people of Valmont respect the Warlord Hangeng as a great warrior, and for them to give up their information…what they consider a betrayal of him, you will have to prove yourself a superior warrior,” Siwon explained.  
  
“How exciting!” Jaejoong exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. “Nothing better than some sweaty man on man action!”  
  
Ryeowook, who was sitting next to Jaejoong, turned to face him and asked full of surprise, “You want Yunho to fight?”  
  
“Unlike you, who will not let poor Kyuhyun resume his duties, I think it’s good for a man to prove himself physically. And what better way than some masculine combat. I can’t wait to watch,” Jaejoong said with a big smile and turned to Yunho, and added mentally,  _“Darling, your body is in need of nutrients. If you were a young child…or a precious infant, you could just live off the bond, but alas I’m without the babe I crave. You have to eat. You can eat of your own free will or I can force feed you in front of your officers. You decide on how you want to eat…because you are going to eat.”_  
  
Yunho picked up a piece of food and tossed in his mouth. He knew that Jaejoong wasn’t kidding.  
  
Ryeowook turned to Siwon. “What kind of fight would it be? Would it be to the death?”  
  
“It depends on the victor,” Siwon explained. “The fight will consist of three rounds, and there is a panel made up of elders that will determine the winner of each round. After the three rounds have been completed, then the panel will ask the victor if he chooses to be lethal or merciful.”  
  
“What would you do if Yunho lost and the Warrior King decided to kill him?” Ryeowook demanded of Jaejoong.  
  
“Pleeeaaaasssse!” Jaejoong sneered, showing just how ridiculous he found that idea. “If anybody tried to kill my Yunho they would be dead before they could complete the thought. He might get some injuries fighting, but nothing I can’t heal. The combat would be worth some scrapes and bruises…it would be invigorating!”  
  
“Why can’t we just send Jaejoong down to the planet? He can get whatever information we require from the Warrior King’s mind and they would be none the wiser,” Yoochun suggested.  
  
“That’s totally unethical,” Jaejoong quickly responded. “Yunho isn’t that kind of leader, and that isn’t the reputation he wants.”  
  
“If they don’t remember…then what does it matter?” Sungmin questioned. “How do we know Hangeng didn’t just have his mate convince the Warrior King that he had beaten him in a fair fight? Hangeng is bonded to a Joong also.”  
  
“Just because they are cheaters doesn’t mean we are,” Jaejoong answered. “I simply won’t do it. I am a royal prince of Joong. I have high ethical standards, even if you lowly humans don’t.”  
  
Yunho resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his mate, knowing Jaejoong’s ethics were highly dependent on the situation.  _“So, let me guess. You think fighting for my life will increase my sperm count?”_  
  
 _“It couldn’t hurt! It would get all your manly juices flowing! Plus, just the thought of you all covered in sweat, and fighting…you have to be shirtless. Fighting shirtless…it is a must!”_  
  
 _“Cool down. If you think fighting is so sexy, you should fight him yourself.”  
  
“I’m much too pretty to fight!”  
  
“You are starting to sound like Heechul!”  
  
“Except, unlike him, I really am too pretty to fight.”  
  
“So, you really want me to fight?”_  
  
Jaejoong licked his lips. _“I can almost taste it.”_  
  
 _“Taste what? The blood from all the gaping wounds he might inflict on me?”  
  
“That’s not funny, Yunho! I would never allow you to be seriously injured. You are not afraid, are you?”  
  
“No!”  
  
“Good! I might be spectacularly beautiful, but if somebody messes with my man, I will slaughter them where they stand, so you have nothing to fear.”_  
  
 _“The reason I am not afraid is not because of you. I am confident in my own fighting abilities,”_  Yunho told Jaejoong mentally and then told his officers. “At 1500 hours we will beam down to the planet. Sungmin, you arrange the away team. I will fight the Warrior King for the information. We all know what kind of person Hangeng sold Sulli to, and I can’t in good conscience let any opportunity for rescuing SooYoung slip past us,” Yunho explained standing up. “You all are dismissed.”  
  
“I cooked that especially for you, and you are going to eat all of it,” Jaejoong told Yunho as the crew members exited the room.  
  
Yunho picked up his fork and pointed to a round purple glob on the plate that Jaejoong was eyeing. “Do you know what this is?”  
  
“I cooked it, so of course I know what it is.”  
  
Yunho folded his arms ignoring his growling stomach. “I’m not eating the scrotum of a Bals Bear Wombat.”  
  
“All the ingredients had to be synthesized, Yunho. It isn’t like there are Bals Bear Wombats running freely on the ship,” Jaejoong explained, but then frowned as he considered something. “This probably cuts down on its potency, come to think of it.”  
  
Ryeowook, who had not gotten up and left with the others, pointed out, “There is nothing wrong with Yunho. He’s plenty fertile. The difficulty most likely lies in the fact that you are a Joong and he’s human.”  
  
“Yeah! Listen to my doctor,” Yunho said proudly. “There is nothing wrong with me.”  
  
Jaejoong grunted and turned to Ryeowook. “We already know Yunho and I are compatible…duh, have you met Changmin? You are just being huffy with me.”  
  
“You are huffy, Doctor?” Yunho asked Ryeowook, while still eyeing the purple blob on his plate apprehensively.  
  
“No,” Ryeowook lied.  
  
“He is mad because I made that remark about him not letting Kyuhyun resume his duties,” Jaejoong corrected. “Kyuhyun has been giving him hell for his mothering hen tendencies, too.”  
  
“I also have not let Changmin or Shindong resume their duties,” Ryeowook reminded the Joong.  
  
“My son is absolutely perfect, not to mention brilliant,” Jaejoong pointed out proudly.  
  
“Changmin may be brilliant but he’s had a lot to adapt to in a short amount of time, not to mention his headaches,” Ryeowook reminded Jaejoong.  
  
“Changmin has headaches?” Yunho asked, instantly worried. He remembered hearing something earlier about Changmin having headaches, but his mind had still been clouded by the effects of the pheromones at that time.  
  
“It’s just an unfortunate side effect of being empathic, one he needs to adapt to,” Jaejoong explained as he took Yunho’s fork and stabbed the Bals Bear Wombat’s scrotum and held it up to Yunho’s mouth. Yunho clamped his mouth shut, and glared at his mate.  
  
“Exactly, and it takes time to adapt. Just like Kyuhyun and Shindong need time to adapt to what happened to them. It takes time to recover from that kind of torture,” Ryeowook explained, trying his best to pretend the mated pair were acting normally.  
  
Jaejoong dropped the fork, paled, gulped guiltily, squeezed his eyes shut and blurted out, “In the interest of honesty…since you two are my favorite humans…ummm…Kyuhyun might not need as long to recover as you think.”  
  
“What did you do?” RyeoWook stood up and demanded. Something about Kyuhyun’s recovery had been strangely off for days now.  
  
Jaejoong opened his eyes, looked up at Ryeowook and confessed, “I helped someone that underwent hours of torture for the sake of my son. He knows what happened to him…I just diluted the terribleness of it. I can’t heal him, but I can manipulate his memories in a way that will decrease their awfulness. He has wonderful coping mechanisms already, but why should he have to waste them for the likes of that bastard ZhouMi. I just did what any good hearted telepath would do.”  
  
“Jaejoong…” Ryeowook began.  
  
“I won’t undo it,” Jaejoong informed him, as he turned to Yunho and asked mentally,  _“What are you thinking? I am not feeling waves of disappointment or anger emanating off of you.”_  
  
“Changmin knows what you did?” Yunho asked aloud, already knowing the answer before he asked.  
  
Jaejoong nodded his head and answered aloud, “Changmin knows and he was grateful that I spared Kyuhyun more pain.”  
  
Ryeowook sat back down at the table feeling terribly torn. “What you did is ethically wrong…but…but…”  
  
“Do you want him to suffer?” Jaejoong asked Ryeowook.  
  
“Of course I don’t! I just…I know how I should feel as a doctor, but that is directly in conflict with how I feel as somebody who loves him. He has suffered enough, but as his husband I can’t say that I’m unhappy.”  
  
“I just wanted to help him…he did this to spare Changmin,” Jaejoong explained, looking back and forth from Ryeowook to Yunho. “If what had happened to Kyuhyun happened to Changmin…”  
  
“He would not have recovered,” Yunho finished.  
  
“He would have withdrawn so deeply inside himself that even I would not have been able to coax him out. Changmin would have been lost to us, either in death, or in his own mental hell. Kyuhyun saved Changmin. I couldn’t let him suffer…when I could help. I did what time would have eventually done over a period of years.”  
  
RyeoWook shook his head, remembering how frustrated Kyuhyun had been. “This explains some of his insistence that he is fine.”  
  
Jaejoong smiled when he realized that neither of the two humans were angry at him. “I did a good thing.”  
  
“You did,” Ryeowook agreed.  
  
Yunho, who had taken in both Ryeowook’s and Jaejoong’s words, told them, “He has to know, though. He has a right to know.”  
  
Ryeowook nodded his head. “I will tell him.”  
  
A very pleased Jaejoong told Ryeowook, “Good, you go find him. Yunho has things he needs to eat.”  
  
“I am not eating this. I think I will go to the mess hall and get a sandwich,” Yunho informed his mate.  
  
Ryeowook laughed at the look of outrage on Jaejoong’s face as he exited the room on his way to find Kyuhyun. The last words he heard before the doors shut behind him were an highly insulted Jaejoong screaming, “I slaved over a hot stove for you and this is the thanks I-”  
  
************************  
  
“Why didn’t you answer me?” Ryeowook asked as he walked into the bedroom of his and Kyuhyun’s quarters.  
  
Kyuhyun, who was laid out on the bed staring up at the ceiling, answered, “I didn’t want to talk to you.”  
  
Ryeowook walked up to the bed and sighed, “Don’t be like this.”  
  
“I want to be like this.”  
  
“Sulky?”  
  
“Yes, I want to sulk.”  
  
Ryeowook sat down on the bed. “You are bored.”  
  
“Very bored.”  
  
“Boredom has never suited you. You always got yourself into trouble at the academy when you got bored,” Ryeowook told his husband as he looked down at him lovingly.  
  
“I don’t remember getting into trouble at the academy. I just remember having lots and lots of sex.”  
  
“Boredom isn’t the reason you had lots and lots of sex at the academy, and we both know it.”  
  
Kyuhyun brought up his hands and covered his face, groaning. “Can we not talk about that? Can you try not psychoanalyzing me for once? I promise you sex of any kind is the farthest thing from my mind.”  
  
Ryeowook frowned. “Really? Not even with me?”  
  
Kyuhyun uncovered his face and looked up at Ryeowook, startled by the question; also noticing that his husband sounded disappointed. “No, not even with you.”  
  
“And you mean that? You aren’t just saying it because your crafty mind thinks that I will see it as some sign of you not coping with what happened to you?”  
  
“No, we’ve shared a bed since I returned to the ship. If I was attracted to you, I wouldn’t have been able to hide it…not from you,” Kyuhyun said, sitting up, and studying his husband. “You sure haven’t been able to hide it from me.”  
  
Ryeowook blushed.  
  
“You didn’t just blush?”  
  
“Don’t.”  
  
“Your embarrassment is ridiculous; we are married. I’m the traumatized one, not you. I mean, how long as it been for you now? It’s been almost two years…well, unless you were doing something else on that planet besides running from bears.”  
  
“You know I wasn’t.”  
  
“I do know.”  
  
“I just find it strange,” Ryeowook said, studying Kyuhyun intently.  
  
“What? That I believe you didn’t hook up with Kangin or Siwon while stranded on that planet? Well, you see I am the trusting type, unlike-”  
  
“I had reason not to trust you,” Ryeowook interrupted to remind Kyuhyun.  
  
“No, you didn’t,” Kyuhyun told him firmly. “I thought you were dead, so I wasn’t betraying you.”  
  
“I don’t have time for this old argument; we are never going to agree. There is something I have to tell you,” Ryeowook informed Kyuhyun.  
  
“Do I want to know?”  
  
“Probably not, but you have a right to know. I am not sure how you are going to take it. I was surprised by my own reaction when I found out. It’s a little unsettling.”  
  
Kyuhyun scooted closer to Ryeowook until they were sitting side by side on the bed. “Just tell me.”  
  
“I am not sure when, but Jaejoong manipulated your memories from the time you spent with that bastard…he diluted the awfulness of them,” Ryeowook explained as he reached over and squeezed Kyuhyun’s knee. “He just confessed all to me and the captain. The captain said you had to know.”  
  
Kyuhyun’s eyes widened. “He did? What…but I remember it…diluted the awfulness of it? Do you mean it was worse than what I remember?”  
  
“No, I don’t think so. He said he did what time would normally have done over a period of years…he didn’t take your memories. He made it clear that he can’t heal you, but he could dilute the memories, so they aren’t as vivid in your mind,” Ryeowook explained. “He saw it as some sort of debt he had to repay.”  
  
Kyuhyun reached down and covered Ryeowook’s hand that was resting on his knee with his own. “I don’t even know what to say—I mean, it felt different, but I thought maybe it was because I was older. I thought age just made me handle it differently.”  
  
Ryeowook turned to face his husband and apologized, “I’m sorry. You kept insisting you were fine…all the tests agreed with what you were saying, but I didn’t believe it could be true.”  
  
Kyuhyun, who was still in a daze, ignored Ryeowook’s apology and asked, “What should I do? I mean, is this okay? He’s been in my mind.”  
  
“I don’t know how to feel either. I mean, is it really wrong for a telepath to…to do what he did? Our beliefs are not the same as other species. I mean, it isn’t the first time that telepathy has been used in other species to treat trauma,” Ryeowook reasoned. “The Federation mostly frowns on it because it can quickly turn into a slippery slope.”  
  
“This is not Cassion 5, where the telepaths of that planet mentally brainwashed anybody who disagreed with their political policies. I don’t see Jaejoong going around and mentally manipulating everybody who disagrees with him. I mean, he could have done that from the beginning, but he didn’t. He kept his connection to Changmin a secret, but I really think in the end he did fear the consequences of us knowing.”  
  
Ryeowook nodded his head. “I know he did.”  
  
Kyuhyun turned and met Ryeowook’s gaze. “Does Changmin know?”  
  
“Apparently Changmin gave his blessing.”  
  
Kyuhyun looked doubtful and stated, “Changmin isn’t exactly himself.”  
  
“No.”  
  
“I would be really stupid to reject this gift, wouldn’t I?”  
  
“I think so, but it’s up to you. You can feel about this any way you want to feel. It’s your mind. I think enough choices have been taken away from you. Whatever you decide, I will support you.”  
  
“I think…I am going to take it as a blessing then.”  
  
“Then I will too.”  
  
Kyuhyun nodded his head in an agreement. “So, I can resume my duties?”  
  
Ryeowook winced, knowing his answer was not going to be embraced by his husband. “I have to beam down to Valmont with the away team. When I get back…we will discuss this further.”  
  
Kyuhyun stood up and demanded, “What is there to discuss? You know now that Jaejoong has progressed my healing by years. I’m ready to resume my duties. You need to reinstate me.”  
  
“I need a little more time to be sure. He’s been inside your head. I just want to run a few more tests and to check-”  
  
Kyuhyun’s eyes narrowed, he didn’t spare Ryeowook any of his anger as he said hatefully, “Is this because I don’t want to have sex with you?”  
  
Ryeowook stood up quickly and denied, “No!”  
  
“Are you sure? You yourself just said it was strange. It’s obviously been on your mind,” Kyuhyun reminded Ryeowook.  
  
Ryeowook inhaled a deep breath and exhaled slowly, attempting to keep his calm. He got up from the bed and headed toward the door, avoiding his husband’s gaze and replied, “I have to go.”  
  
“Are you sure? I mean, if you have five minutes? I am sure I could manage something. If it means getting to return to duty it just might get my passions stirring,” an agitated Kyuhyun told a retreating Ryeowook.  
  
Ryeowook came to a sudden stop at the door, not turning around to face Kyuhyun. “I understand that you are angry. It’s probably the only normal thing going on right now, so if you need to be angry with me…that’s okay. I can handle it,” Ryeowook assured Kyuhyun as he quickly left their bedroom.  
  
Kyuhyun winced as if Ryeowook had slapped him. “Ryeowook,” he called guiltily as he swiftly moved to bridge the distance between them. He caught up with Ryeowook before the other man could escape their quarters and wrapped his arms around the smaller man from behind, holding him in place. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m acting like this…if Jaejoong fixed me.”  
  
Ryeowook turned quickly in Kyuhyun’s arms and reached up with a hand, cupping his husband’s cheek, “Jaejoong is not an expert on humanity. He doesn’t even know how to handle Yunho half the time. Changmin is a mystery to him. He is not the cure all. If he helped you then that is wonderful, but it’s you who has to do the healing…lashing out at people you love is completely understandable behavior for somebody who has experienced your level of trauma.”  
  
“I do love you,” Kyuhyun vowed as he pulled Ryeowook into a hug.  
  
“I know you do, and I love you,” Ryeowook assured Kyuhyun. “I’m not angry at you. I am in this with you for the long haul. For better or worse…remember?”  
  
Kyuhyun pulled away and smiled down at his husband. “I remember.”  
  
Ryeowook smiled back at him and took a step back toward the door. “I have to go…I can’t be late.”  
  
“Be safe.”  
  
“Always,” Ryeowook promised.  
  
************************  
  
 _“Garganchum? Really, that’s his real name?”_  Yunho mentally asked Jaejoong, who stood beside him. They were both looking up at the tall Warrior King, in his royal chambers inside the huge arena where the fight would take place. Sungmin, Ryeowook, and Junsu stood behind them.  
  
 _“He isn’t as big as the Zusaders and there were five of them.”_  
  
“It is my great honor to respect your traditions and join you in combat today,” Yunho was telling the Warrior King.  _“Well, I had some help then,”_ Yunho reminded Jaejoong telepathically.  
  
Jaejoong looked up at the Warrior King Garganchum, unimpressed.  _“He might be tall but look how bulky he is. I bet he’s slow.”_  
  
 _“He is the Warrior King for a reason. He wasn’t born the king, he earned it. Did you not read the reports? He had to fight his way to the top.”_  
  
 _“There is nothing wrong with being born into royalty. Some of us are just better than others, and this is so obvious it is known even before we are born.”_  
  
 _“Says the Royal Prince of Joong,”_  Yunho teased mentally as he exchanged bows with the Warrior King.  _“You know, a week ago I would have looked forward to kicking some ass,”_ Yunho told Jaejoong, telepathically thinking back on how frustrated his mate had made him.  
  
 _“Poor Yunnie; I was so mean to you.”  
  
“Did you just call me Yunnie?”  
  
“Yes.”_  
  
 _“Don’t.”  
  
“It’s cute.”  
  
“Don’t, unless you want me to start calling you Jaejoongie.”  
  
“Understood…Yunho”_  
  
“This is my woman, the Warrior Queen Reem,” the Warrior King declared as a short, masculine appearing woman stepped forward. “She will escort you to the royal seats where your women can watch our honorable fight.”  
  
Sungmin quickly stepped forward to explain, “Your Highness, I must stand beside my captain.”  
  
The Warrior King reached out and patted Sungmin on the head as if he were an adorable pet. “Such a strange little woman.”  
  
“Lieutenant Sungmin is responsible for my safety,” Yunho explained.  
  
The Warrior King looked at Yunho in disbelief. “You must be very weak to have this little one responsible for your safety.”  
  
“You cannot always judge a person by their size,” Yunho said, pointing towards Sungmin. “He is very skilled in combat.”  
  
The Warrior King looked doubtful, and could not keep his amusement out of his voice, and asked Yunho, “Will he claim vengeance when I defeat you?”  
  
“No, if I am defeated then-”  
  
Jaejoong stepped forward, interrupting Yunho, “If Yunho is defeated due to any unfairness by your actions or the actions of others…I will be the one claiming vengeance.”  
  
The Warrior King flinched as he stared down at the small, blonde, beautiful Joong, whose crystal blue eyes pierced through his soul. “We are not a dishonorable people…we would not do such a thing,” the Warrior King nervously told the Joong, unable to maintain his bravado.  
  
“You better not,” Jaejoong warned with a wicked smile.


	3. Public Display!

Changmin was walking down the corridor of the ship toward his science lab, hoping the events from earlier in the day would not lower his staff’s opinion of him. Changmin inwardly cringed as he remembered the very affectionate Jaejoong bursting into his lab and embracing him. His feelings toward Jaejoong had increased greatly, but such a public show of affection still left him feeling terribly uncomfortable.

Changmin stepped into the lab and was immediately greeted with a warm smile by Ensign Choi. Changmin was about to reply to the young ensign when his entire plane of existence shifted and he was no longer on the Expectations.

He found himself seated among thousands of people in an enormous stadium. Those thousands of people were totally fixated on a stage, where to his great surprise he saw versions of himself and Yunho singing to the highly receptive crowd. Changmin turned around frantically in his chair looking through the crowd of mostly females, who were riveted by the performance going on.

Changmin turned his focus back to the stage and watched as the other version of himself sang along with Yunho, wearing long coats of silvery blue. In the ancient Japanese language of Earth they sang of a tomorrow they hoped would shine on them.

Changmin began to get up from his seat, when a voice in his head stopped him,

“Not wise, unless, you want to be attacked by thousands of women.”

Changmin turned quickly to see a very old man that was now sitting beside him…but no, Changmin corrected his assumption immediately; this was not a man…this was a Joong.

“Can a Joong not be a man?” the voice inside Changmin’s head asked, proving Changmin right instantly. The Joong looked to be at least 150 human years old. He was wearing a long white robe, and had long white hair, wrinkled skin, and crystal blue eyes.

Changmin reached up and touched the necklace around his neck, instantly curious as to why the necklace was not blocking the old Joong’s telepathy. As soon as he had been informed that Jaejoong and Yunho were leaving the ship, he had put it on.

“Having it on will not hinder our conversation.”

“Who are you?”

The old Joong ignored Changmin’s question. His eyes were glued to the stage, and he sang along telepathically with the music, "No matter how windy the day is, No matter how dark the road is I’ll never let your smile fade away.”

“Am I hallucinating?”

“No, this is real.”

“Why have you taken me?”

The old man smiled at Changmin’s question, but continued to stare at the stage. “Although Jaejoong and Yunho have a timeless love, in more realities than not, you are the constant presence in Yunho’s life.”

Changmin looked around the crowd, the crowd that was now waving red lights along to the music. “Are we in another reality?”

“Yes, your parents also visited this reality…it’s a powerful reality. In this reality there was so much love between them…too much love…just too much. It carried the burden of being such a powerful, magnetic love…it inspired and attracted countless souls to it, but in the end it was a tragic love that crumbled under its own immeasurable weight. Such a sad reality…but, so much love…so much love, but it was just too much.”

“Who are you?” Changmin demanded again, not liking the tone the conversation had taken. In his own reality, his parents also faced a tragic ending. “Have you kidnapped me?”

“No; not at all.”

“How can you say that? You have brought me here against my will.”

The old man laughed and shook his head. “You couldn’t be more wrong.”

“I am not wrong; you have taken me against my will. I will be missed immediately.”

The old man continued to shake his head. “You will never be missed, you will be returned in the same instant that you were taken…without your great Expectations ever missing you. You will walk through the doors to your lab and greet one of your precious Chois without any memory of our meeting.”

“One of my precious Chois?” .

“Yes, you have three of them, don’t you?”

“Have them?”

“Well…know them. You know three of them don’t you?”

“I know of many by that name; it is a popular surname.”

The old man laughed, and turned to grin knowingly at Changmin. “True, but the three I am talking about are all related, and they each play important roles in your life.”

Changmin gulped nervously. “What roles do they play in my life?”

“Hmmm…” the old man paused as if he was considering what he would allow Changmin to know. “Well, some serve more than one role, but for arguments sake let’s describe them like this…one would be your friend, one would be your protégée, and one would be your mate.”

“I do not have a bondmate!” Changmin denied instantly.

The old man chuckled and corrected Changmin, “I was very careful to not say bondmate. Jumping to conclusions, Changmin; that’s so unlike you.”

“An ordinary mate? I have no interest in sexual activity. I don’t believe you.”

“It is your prerogative to believe what you wish. The future is yours,” the old man told Changmin telepathically with his eyes glued to the stage. “Your fate is in your hands.”

Changmin frowned, realizing the high probability that the old man was speaking the truth. “Who are you?”

“You are asking the wrong question. What is in a name? I could give you a countless list of names.”

“I do not have time for your riddles. I demand that you tell me!”

“Since you refuse to enjoy the concert, I suppose we should move on,” the old man lamented, and Changmin instantly found himself in a new setting.

He was now sitting on a bench with the old man, inside a park. Changmin instantly recognized the park from his childhood. “I know this place.”

“Of course you do…there you are, now,” the old man said aloud and pointed to the middle of the park.

Changmin easily spotted his younger self, walking off from another group of boys who were busy playing soccer. He couldn’t have been older than five, and his eyes were glued to a tree that wasn’t far from the bench. Changmin turned to face the old man and asked, “This is the reality I exist in now?”

“You have now returned to the reality you existed in as a child.”

“What do you mean by that?” Changmin questioned. “Have I not always existed in it?”

The old man smiled. “How do you know that the anomaly in the black hole didn’t throw you into another reality? All the ship’s equipment failed, you have no way of knowing if you were thrown to another dimension.”

“When I am sent back in time as a child…I am sent to this reality,” Changmin reasoned.

“Ah, but the Guardian has access to all realities,” the old man explained with a twinkle in his old, blue eyes. “What if you are more than just millions of light years away from home? Perhaps you are farther than you ever imagined. You could be in any reality, and time. The Guardian has access to all of time… past, present, and future.”

“What are you saying?”

“I am saying very little.”

“It is very aggravating.”

“It must be frustrating for you.”

Changmin closed his eyes and focused on the crystal blue waters, and found his center before his anger got away from him. “Can you tell me why you have brought me here?”

“I am here to prevent you from being lost in time.”

“To prevent me?”

“Yes.”

“Lost in time…are you referring to when I am conceived? Will I be lost in time then?”

“Not if you are wise…if you are wise you can spare yourself. In the seconds before your conception the memory of our meeting will return to you. You must act quickly when the time arrives.”

“Quickly? What do I have to do?”

“You must follow your gut instincts.”

Changmin sneered. “I do not think my fate should be dependent on the instincts of my stomach.”

“Your father believes in his gut instincts.”

“He isn’t a genius.”

“No, but he is capable of wisdom. Wisdom you lack.”

“Are you saying wisdom is a function of the gut and not the mind,” Changmin asked scornfully, wondering if the old man had lost his mind to dementia.

The old man frowned and shook his head and recited a line of a poem in his head. “The things which I have seen I now can see no more.”

“Why would you say that?”

“My faith in you diminishes with your every word.”

Changmin blinked, taken aback. “Why? Surely your faith is not diminished because I question the logic in leaving such an important task up to my digestive tract?”

The old man just shook his head and bent down and picked up a dandelion at his feet. “Both of them speak of something that is gone: The Pansy at my feet.”

“Changmin!” The young, childish voice of an alarmed Yunho rang out, preventing Changmin from further interrogating the strange old Joong. Changmin turned to watch a young Yunho rush toward his younger self with a yellow Labrador following behind him. The child version of Changmin had climbed the tree that had captured his interest earlier, and he was now sitting on a limb. “Changmin, come down.”

“No,” the child Changmin told the boy who he believed to be his brother. “I am going to get me a bird.”

“Changmin, birds are much too fast to catch. They will fly away,” Yunho said, trying to reason with the always curious younger boy.

“Not baby birds,” Changmin explained, pointing to a nest that was only a foot away from him on the limb he was sitting on. “There are two baby birds in the nest…I just want one. They can’t fly away from me.”

The child Yunho leaped up and grabbed a limb, and easily pulled himself up in the tree to join the younger boy. The yellow Labrador sat down and let out a friendly bark as it looked up at the two boys. Yunho was sitting beside Changmin on the limb now. “Pappy says if you touch a baby bird then its momma will abandon it. You don’t want it to be orphan, do you?”

“I will take care of it,” the young Changmin told his brother. His intelligent eyes were gazing at the nest as thoughts known only to him raced through his mind.

The older Changmin sat on the bench mesmerized by his younger self and Yunho. The odd old man and the perplexing predicament he was in were pushed aside in his mind as childhood memories returned to him. He couldn’t help but smile.

Yunho shook his head. “He will miss his mommy.”

“No, he won’t,” Changmin insisted, reaching out for the baby bird.

Yunho grabbed Changmin’s hand and told him, “He will miss his brother.”

Changmin turned away from the nest and looked up at Yunho with huge, shocked eyes, and repeated, “His brother?”

Yunho nodded his head. “He will miss him if you take him away. Wouldn’t you miss me if somebody took me away from you?”

“You can’t ever go away! Nobody can ever take you away from me!” Changmin cried, letting go of the tree and latching onto Yunho. Even at the tender age of seven, Yunho’s reflexes were quick enough to brace his body against the tree, hold on to his brother, and somehow manage to keep them from tumbling out of the tree.

“Always so attached to him,” the old man said softly.

Changmin nodded his head, turning away from the brotherly love, already knowing that Yunho would easily get him out of the tree. The baby birds would be safe from his curiosity. “I didn’t understand why back then. I just knew that I needed him. The thought of him not being with me was unbearable.”

“In your other lives you do not share the parent/child bond, but still you need him, and he needs you. You need him because he loves so easily, and kindness is as natural as breathing to him. He needs you…you, who are as cynical as he is optimistic. When he goes through his many lives loving blindly, you are his eyes. Neither of you are perfect, but together you are very strong.”

Something in the old man’s voice made Changmin turn and stare at him. When the old man spoke of Yunho there was something extremely familiar. “If I am not lost to time…is there a chance Yunho can be saved? If I could somehow be myself…not a baby when the time comes for Yunho and Jaejoong to die, might I have a chance to save them?”

“Perhaps, if you cast aside your cynicism just once to believe…to believe in something that’s absolutely the opposite of everything you believe to be true…then yes, it is possible.”

“And how do I accomplish this?”

The old man smiled at him and told him, “You must first endanger a world, and it will involve breaking some very old Joong rules.”

“Endangering a world?” Changmin repeated, alarmed.

The old man turned to watch Yunho and Changmin climb down the tree. “Yes, you must risk the life of a planet…you must risk the billions of lives on it.”

“I can’t do that,” Changmin exclaimed as he too watched the young Yunho and Changmin, who were walking hand in hand back to the other boys. The good natured dog followed behind them. “Even as a child, he would not let me endanger the life of a baby bird…do you think he would approve of me risking the life of everyone on a planet?”

“No, he wouldn’t, but you have another parent, and when the time comes for you to endanger the planet in question…this is the parent you must channel. You must embrace Yunho’s ability to trust his instincts, and you must embrace Jaejoong’s ability to place love above all things,” the old man told him.

“But you just said I had to break Joong rules…I don’t even know what all the Joong rules are. I do know that Jaejoong believes fiercely in them,” Changmin informed the old man as he reached up and grasped his necklace.

The setting changed again and the old man was now standing beside Changmin in a room of light blue that was filled with different, advanced technologies that not even Changmin could begin to grasp the concepts of. “There are many Joong rules…rules created to prevent atrocities…terrible atrocities, but you who cling to the Custos Humanae Vitae as a life line…these rules were not meant for you.”

Changmin’s eyes widened as he took in the man’s words, and the pieces of the puzzle came together. His unease fell away as the truth became very clear to him. “But you did not deny it when I said you were a-”

“I did not verify it either.”

Changmin lowered his head, ashamed of himself for jumping to conclusions. “You did not.”

“But to verify or deny would be to lie. Would it not?”

Changmin let go of the necklace and smiled at the old man. “It would be.”

The old man smiled back at him. “You understand now?”

“Yes,” Changmin confirmed, but he knew the old man already knew how he felt. Changmin took in the room, studying it all. “I will only remember this in the moments before my conception? This will all be lost to me?”

The old man suddenly looked even older, and he said in a wistful voice, “If you succeed, all your memories will be returned to you...eventually. If you fail, your memories will only resurface in the moments before your conception…before you are lost forever to time.”

************************

“Yes!” Junsu screamed at the top of his lungs, jumping out of his seat to cheer for the captain. Junsu had tried his best to act like a dignified Starfleet officer, but in the end the sports lover in him had won out. The captain and the Warrior King were in an intense martial arts battle, and the captain was beginning to tire the much larger Warrior King out.

Ryeowook sat between Junsu and Jaejoong as they watched the captain fight. They were sitting in the royal seats on the first level of the huge arena. The arena reminded Ryeowook of the ancient coliseum in Rome that he had just visited with Kyuhyun on their holodeck date. More than 30,000 thousand spectators sat in the stands watching their king battle the starship captain.

Ryeowook had casually pulled out his tricorder, his own curiosity getting the better of him. The Starfleet officers were sitting with the royal family which consisted of the Warrior King’s ten wives. The head wife was Reem, who had been introduced to them earlier. She was also referred to as the Warrior Queen. Ryeowook could not help but be curious about the queen. She was one of the most unlikeable people he had ever met. The Warrior King had not been unpleasant even if he had been overly confidant, but the Warrior Queen was a vulgar, hateful woman. She had made repeated negative comments about her Starfleet guests and their captain. But this was not what had Ryeowook curious; it was the fact that even though he was a highly trained and observant doctor, he could not be sure of her true gender.

“I will never cease to be surprised,” Ryeowook mumbled under his breath as he studied his tricorder readings.

Junsu, who had sat back down and was trying hard to be a dignified guest once again, overheard the doctor and asked, “What?”

Ryeowook nodded down toward the tricorder, showing Junsu the readings.

“No, way…that’s a real woman?” Junsu responded, unable to keep his surprise from showing in his voice.

Ryeowook nodded his head. He then focused his readings on the other wives, and to his shock the wives he had assumed were female were actually male. “It seems in this species the more aesthetically pleasing of the genders are the males, but of course the males designated as women have all been castrated.”

Junsu cringed at the thought of castration. “Are we ever going to find a planet full of hot babes?”

Ryeowook snorted and looked at Junsu, shocked by the ensign’s wording. “Hot babes?”

“Yeah,” Junsu answered still watching the fight. “Eunhyuk says there has got to be a planet of them somewhere.”

“Princess Claudia wasn’t ugly, nor were the females on her planet,” Ryeowook reminded Junsu.

“No, but they were all strict and religious. I need to meet some good-looking, fun girls before…” Junsu trailed off.

“Before what?” Ryeowook asked, side eyeing the ensign.

“Never mind, it doesn’t matter,” Junsu quickly replied, with his eyes still glued to the action going on in the arena. “It’s just that…that’s the way to do it, Captain! Knock him on his ass! Yes! Bigger they are, the harder they fall!” Junsu flew out of his seat again, cheering as the captain won round one, his conversation with the doctor forgotten.

“Your captain will not be so lucky during the next round,” Queen Reem, who was sitting beside Jaejoong, said with a sour expression on her face. “The King shall be victorious in the end, and then he will gut your captain for all to see.”

Jaejoong, who was trying his best not give the awful woman permanent brain damage, just smiled and said, “We will see.” Jaejoong had found the fighting much more difficult to watch then he had imagined. His hormones were at an all time peak, and he had to constantly fight the urge to jump down off the stands and leap on Yunho. He knew that public sex was not something Yunho would take kindly to, once the pheromones left his system.

“That looks like a Klingon Bat'leth,” Junsu said in awe as the Warrior King and the captain were presented their weapons for the next round. “What are the odds that they would have weapons similar to bat’leths?”

“Do I look like Changmin?” Ryeowook asked with a grin. He was enjoying Junsu’s excitement. He was not one to enjoy watching others fight, but Junsu’s competitive spirit was contagious.

Junsu bumped into Ryeowook’s shoulder, unable to contain his excitement. “The captain will have no trouble winning this round. He took advanced classes in hand to hand weaponry at the academy.”

“That’s what you think!” the vile queen spat out after overhearing Junsu. She stood up and proclaimed. “The Warrior King will rip into your captain’s baby soft skin and spill his intestines all over the arena.”

Junsu jumped out of his seat and screamed back at her, “That will never happen!”

“Junsu, sit down,” Ryeowook said, pulling Junsu back down to his seat. Ryeowook would have loved to tell the queen off, but he knew better. Ryeowook couldn’t help turning to look at Jaejoong, who was being oddly quiet.

Jaejoong was fanning himself with one hand, and rubbing his neck with the other. Jaejoong turned to look at Ryeowook and asked, “Is it hot out here, or is it just me?”

Ryeowook frowned, but decided it was probably for the best that Jaejoong was ignoring the vile queen. “It’s actually nice.”

“It must be my hormones,” Jaejoong explained as he turned his focus back to the arena where the second round had started. Jaejoong shifted in his seat and admitted, “They are on overload.”

Alarm bells started going off in Ryeowook’s head. Was Jaejoong affecting the people around him? Ryeowook felt completely normal, but Junsu was very high spirited. “You need to keep them under control.”

“I am not releasing any pheromones, so just chill. I am also blocking my highly aroused state from Yunho the best I can. He needs to focus on the fight…but after the fight all bets are off. I feel ripe and ready to conceive.”

“As if that sorry excuse for a man could impregnate anyone, his pecker is probably no bigger then my little finger,” the queen jeered, holding up her little finger. “I take that back, it probably isn’t even half this big.”

Jaejoong put his hands in his lap, and turned his focus to the queen and just smiled at her.

The warrior queen did not smile back at him. Instead, she got up out of her seat and walked over to the railing, climbed up on it and then to the shock of everybody, dived down into the arena.

Ryeowook flew out of his seat, followed by Junsu and the other wives as the arena full of people gasped in surprise as their queen landed head first on the arena floor. Ryeowook watched as the queen slowly sat up, her head wobbling back and forth. He turned to Jaejoong in outrage, knowing instantly what the Joong had done. “Jaejoong! That was an almost six meter fall!”

Jaejoong shrugged; his eyes were focused on Yunho, who out of concern was heading toward the fallen queen. “Some people just need to land on their head, Ryeowook. Believe me; it could only improve her personality.”

“She looks like she is okay…except she looks really dazed,” Junsu offered, still looking over the railing at the fallen queen. The other wives were already heading back to their seats, all looking disappointed that the queen had not been more seriously injured. They had all been eager to move up in the wife hierarchy.

“She’s very lucky that her people have such strong necks,” Ryeowook told Junsu, leaning back over the railing to watch as Yunho leaned down to help the befuddled queen. “Jaejoong, I just can’t—”

“Captain!” Junsu shouted out in warning, interrupting Ryeowook as the Warrior King, who had shown no concern for his wife, sneaked up on Yunho with his bat'leth out and ready to attack.

Yunho leaped out of the way just in time, but the bat'leth still struck down the front of his chest slicing his shirt in half and slightly grazing his chest, leaving a faint bloody scratch. The arena booed their own king for his dishonorable behavior and cheered for the captain’s escape.

Ryeowook and Junsu both sighed in relief. Jaejoong had gotten out of his seat to stand beside Junsu and Ryeowook clutching his chest. “Just take the shirt off! Just take it off,” Jaejoong yelled.

“He’s kinda busy…trying not to die!” Ryeowook screamed at Jaejoong.

“Yes!” Junsu cheered, jumping up and down as the captain disarmed the Warrior King. “That’s what the captain thinks of your dirty playing! He isn’t going to play with you anymore. He’s going to kick your butt! He’s the best captain ever!”

Yunho, who waited for the panel of elders to announce the third round, watched as the guards helped remove the disoriented queen from the floor of the arena. Yunho then looked up to the stands and winked at Jaejoong as he removed his tattered uniform top.

“The best,” Jaejoong agreed as he smiled down at his bondmate.

“Sword fighting!” Junsu said with excitement as the elders announced the next round of fighting.

“This is exciting,” Ryeowook had to admit, but added, “…when Jaejoong isn’t trying to kill people.”

Jaejoong waved a hand at Ryeowook, not taking his eyes off Yunho, and reminded him, “It is against Joong rules to kill anybody, unless their bondmate or child are in danger. I can’t kill anyone unless they are endangering Yunho or Changmin…she’s just a klutz.”

Ryeowook turned to give Jaejoong a very skeptical look. “Yeah, right.”

“The captain seems a little off,” Junsu told them, after watching the captain and the Warrior King sword fighting. “He seems…a little slow.”

“That’s probably me,” Jaejoong admitted, sitting back down, and closing his eyes. “I’ve been trying to control myself, but it’s proving to be very difficult to shut him out. I will work harder at shutting him out, now.”

“You do that,” Ryeowook told him, still standing next to Junsu. “If he wins, I think he could take over the planet. The crowd seems to love him.”

Junsu laughed. “We could give up the ship and become warrior people.”

“Since I am not that tall…I have to object to that possible future,” Ryeowook told Junsu.

Jaejoong, who was doing is best to prevent his emotions from reaching Yunho, told Ryeowook, “Why? It isn’t like you use your dick anyway.”

Ryeowook turned away from watching the battle and glared at Jaejoong. “I thought we were friends!”

“We are friends; everybody knows you don’t use it,” Jaejoong told him, unable to keep from smiling at the doctor’s outrage. “Don’t be mad at me. I am trying really hard to shut Yunho out, and picking on you is helping to distract me.”

“Well, the captain has fire in him again! He’s really speeding up. The Warrior King can’t keep up with him, so keep picking on Doctor Cho,” Junsu replied, while never taking his eyes off the swordfight.

Ryeowook frowned. “Can’t you pick on Junsu, too?”

“That’s too easy…it would border on cruelty,” Jaejoong explained, keeping his eyes squeezed shut. “We Joong avoid bullying behavior…it’s uncouth.”

“Wow! That’s fucking amazing!” Junsu screamed.

Ryeowook, who was shocked to hear Junsu using vulgar language, turned back to see what was going on with the fight. He was just in time to see the Warrior King’s sword go flying up in the air, and to the amazement of all in the stadium it dropped hilt first into Yunho outreached hand. “He’s so cool.”

“Totally,” Junsu agreed.

Yunho held up both swords, causing the crowd to break out into applause. The panel of elders immediately announced Yunho the winner. The elders then asked if the captain would be merciful or lethal. Yunho handed over his swords to the guards and proclaimed, “It is the way of my people to always be merciful-”

Jaejoong jumped out of his seat and cried, “I can’t take it anymore.”

“You have to wait till we get back to the ship,” the doctor urged the aroused Joong.

“The hell I do,” Jaejoong told them as he jumped up on the railing and then jumped down into the arena, much like the Warrior Queen had earlier, only more gracefully.

“Jaejoong!” Junsu and Ryeowook both yelled, but to their shock Jaejoong landed on his feet as if he had only jumped a short distance. No sooner than he had landed, he was off toward Yunho in a dead run. The entire crowd watched as the beautiful Joong reached his mate, leaping into the captain’s arms. Yunho easily caught his mate. Jaejoong wrapped his arms and legs around his mate, and laid a kiss on the captain that left most of the crowd gasping in awe.

Ryeowook grabbed Junsu by the arm and ordered, “We better get down there, fast! The captain won’t be in his right mind, and Jaejoong isn’t exactly the shy type.”

Junsu nodded his head and along with Ryeowook made his way out of the stands and toward the arena floor. “Sungmin should be down there. He will stop them.”

“I don’t think an army could stop them,” Ryeowook told Junsu as they headed down the stairs. “Jaejoong won’t let anybody stop them. I should have made him beam up earlier.”

“You can’t really make Jaejoong do anything, though,” Junsu reminded him.

“Don’t I know it.”

Ryeowook and Junsu pushed their way through the crowd of onlookers until they reached the gates that led to the arena floor. They quickly caught sight of Sungmin and rushed toward him.

Sungmin appeared to have his hands full. As they approached they heard a man offering Sungmin, “If you become my woman, I will give your captain six cows.”

Ryeowook and Junsu watched as Sungmin barely managed to control his annoyance. “Sorry, but cows are not allowed on our ship.”

“Lieutenant!’ Ryeowook yelled as he hurried up to the security chief. “We have to get the captain out of here.”

Sungmin pointed to all the people surrounding him. “I have been trying, but unless I pull out a phaser it’s impossible to get through these idiots. I swear if one more person tries to trade a cow for me…”

“Jaejoong is with the captain,” Ryeowook quickly explained. “He’s…he’s…”

“Really horny,” Junsu finished for the doctor.

Sungmin eyes narrowed and questioned, “You are afraid Jaejoong will release pheromones?”

Ryeowook nodded his head. “If he does…”

“There are thousands of people here,” Sungmin said fearfully, realizing the danger. “The captain doesn’t have his shirt on. We can’t have the Expectations beam him up. Okay, follow me.”

“But if Jaejoong is…touching him can’t we just beam him up and get them both?” Junsu asked.

“If Jaejoong still has his clothes on,” Ryeowook answered.

Sungmin broke through the crowd, knocking people out of the way and putting all his martial arts skills to good use. They had to get to the captain quickly, and they couldn’t waste time being polite. As they neared the area where the captain and Jaejoong were, it did not escape their notice that the people in the crowd were becoming very affectionate with each other.

“Dear God, he must have already released some,” Ryeowook groaned as they entered the field. “The captain is going to be so humiliated.”

Sungmin came to a dead stop, halting the others, “I would say so.” In front of them, Yunho, much to Jaejoong’s great pleasure, had his naked mate up against the wall of the arena, thrusting into him.

“Not again,” Junsu cried, covering his eyes. “Why must I always see them having sex?”

Ryeowook looked away. “Without their insignias on, how hard would it be for Yoochun to beam them out?”

“In this crowd? Nearly impossible,” Sungmin told Ryeowook, while watching Junsu. “It would be too dangerous. One of us is going to have to go over there and touch them and then beam them back to their quarters.”

“Not me!” Junsu yelled.

“We need to do something, fast!” Ryeowook yelled back at them, feeling his emotions heightening. “We are not going to be thinking clearly for very long.”

“What do you suggest? Think fast! I can’t afford to be under the influence of pheromones! I have a boyfriend that insists on taking things slow! I already want to jump him!” Sungmin screamed.

“What about me! I have a perverted commander after my ass!” Junsu hollered at the two of them.

“Boo Hoo!” Ryeowook screamed back at them. “What about me! I have a sexually traumatized husband! Who can’t even think about sex! Do you know how long it’s been for me? Too long! That’s how long!”

“That’s your own damn fault! If you had gotten over…” Sungmin paused, ignoring Ryeowook and told Junsu in a voice full of appreciation. “You do have a mighty fine ass. One can hardly blame Commander Yoochun for admiring it.”

Junsu smiled back at Sungmin and told him, “You’re awfully pretty…for a guy.”

“So you think so?” Sungmin asked, walking up to Junsu and trailing his finger down the front of the ensign’s uniform.

Junsu nodded his head eagerly. “I’ve always thought so. You looked so good in that dress at the Halloween party.”

“I don’t mind dressing up,” Sungmin told Junsu, licking his lips. “I’ve never deflowered a virgin before.”

“You can deflower me!” Junsu quickly offered.

Sungmin wrapped his arms around Junsu and whispered in a husky voice, “Would you like to fuck me?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes! “Junsu answered enthusiastically. “So what if you don’t have a vagina. Anus or vagina, they are both holes. I can stick-”

“Three to beam up, now! Directly to sickbay!” Ryeowook shouted after hitting his insignia.

The three of them materialized in sickbay, and Ryeowook quickly grabbed a hypospray and injected the three of them with the same injection he had given Yunho earlier. Sungmin and Junsu immediately broke apart, horrified at their behavior.

“Doctor, what is going on,” Yoochun’s voice demanded over the insignia. “Where is the captain?”

Ryeowook sighed as his head cleared. “He is still on the planet with Jaejoong…we are going to have to go get them.”

“Why are they not with you?” Yoochun asked as Sungmin and Junsu avoided looking at each other.

Ryeowook answered, “Because they don’t have their uniforms on.”

“What?” the shocked voice of Yoochun asked.

“Jaejoong just dosed a crowd of thirty thousand with pheromones. I had to get us back to the ship before we were compromised. I have dosed myself with the antidote, so I can go back and get them now,” Ryeowook explained.

“Would that be safe, doctor?” Yoochun asked.

“I will go with him,” Sungmin replied, pulling out his phaser, trying to act like he had not just propositioned one of his oldest friends. “We should hurry.”

“Agreed, keep in constant contact,” Yoochun ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Ryeowook answered as he tapped his insignia off, and turned to the red faced Junsu. “Not coming with us?”

“No,” Junsu answered, bright red from his encounter with Sungmin on the planet.

Ryeowook nodded his head in understanding and headed out of sickbay with Sungmin to the transporter room. “They are so going to owe us.”

“Big time,” Sungmin agreed. “The captain is going to be completely mortified when his sanity returns.”

“I have a feeling this will be last away mission a shifting Jaejoong is going to be allowed on,” Ryeowook said with a chuckle.


End file.
